


From the Mouths of Babes

by mggislife2789



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 20:34:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12116730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)





	From the Mouths of Babes

“Will!” JJ called as she ran down the stairs and hurriedly pulled on her jacket before grabbing her go-bag. She gave him a peck on the lips, her breath quick and steady as she spoke. “Kidnapping case. Pressed for time.”

Every time she left the house, he kissed her as if it could be their last. As their lips parted, she bent down to hug Henry. “Go save lives, Mommy!”

“I’m gonna do my best, baby boy,” she said proudly. “I love you both. Be good for Daddy, okay?”

Henry nodded and ran straight into Will’s arms before whispering in his ear that he really wanted chocolate chip pancakes this morning. “I will, Mommy!”

“Be safe, darlin’,” he said with a wave. There was no doubt that their lives and their schedules were tough, but they loved each other and their son with their whole hearts; no matter what it took, they made it work. 

Will smiled to himself as she left the house. He patted Henry’s butt and told him to go wash his hands and sit at the kitchen table if he wanted pancakes. Being the easy-going boy that he was, Henry did as he was told and eagerly awaited his sweet breakfast. “Daddy, can we play soccer after breakfast?” He was kicking his feet back and forth at the table like he was already on the front lawn and Will couldn’t help but laugh to himself. Normally, he would play soccer with his mama, who was by far more athletically-inclined than him, but he would do anything for that beautiful boy.

“Of course,” he laughed. “Chill those legs or you’re gonna bring down the table. After breakfast, go and get changed and we’ll go outside.”

Pancakes were definitely a good idea. Will found himself making more than he intended and eating the extras as his own breakfast. Henry had changed in what seemed like nanoseconds after he had finished eating, but for Will it took a little bit longer. There was still no coffee in his system and getting changed wasn’t nearly such an amazing experience as it was for a six-year-old. 

Eventually, Will made his downstairs where Henry was watching Captain America for the 80th time that week. He popped up from his place on the couch and ran outside to the front lawn where his soccer ball was sitting up against the iron gate.

Happily, Henry kicked the ball toward his father and for a while they kicked the ball back and forth without much else to speak of save for some chirping birds and a couple of cars blasting music that a six-year-old shouldn’t have been listening to. Some of the neighbors had also come out to spend the day with their children. One of them down the block was nice, but other than that they were surrounded by snobs. 

From across the wafting blades of grass, Will heard one of the wives next door say something that made his blood boil. “I wonder if that boy ever gets to see his mother.”

“Maybe they need both incomes to afford the place,” the husband and father said.

“Then they shouldn’t be in this neighborhood. A child shouldn’t have to grow up without their mother.”

Will had heard it all before, and most of the time, he had the ability to let it roll off his shoulder; sometimes, people were just stupid, but there was something about the seriously condescending tone in her voice that made him open his mouth. “For you information, my son has plenty of time with his mother.”

Originally, the woman was taken aback, her mouth agape as she tried to form her next thought. But honestly, no amount of thought could possibly have prepared Will for the stupidity flying out of his neighbor’s mouth. “Your wife is out of the house all the time. Doesn’t your son miss her?”

“Of course, I miss my mommy,” Henry said, picking up the soccer ball and approaching his neighbor’s fence. “But she is saving lives right now, so it’s okay.” Will smiled down proudly at his son as Henry went back to playing with his ball.

“There is something you need to know. Both my wife and I choose to save lives day in and day out. Our schedule is hard, but I am away just as often as my wife is. We made a pact that Henry here would never spend a day without one of us. My wife loves what she does, as do I, and we love our son more than anything. Love of a child and love of a job don’t have to be mutually exclusive.”

The wife gave the slightest roll of the eyes; Will could tell she tried to hide the look, but she was anything but secretive. “Women are supposed to be at home with their kids,” she muttered under her breath. The husband, who presumably had a day off, smirked under his breath; he obviously agreed with his wife, which made them a perfect match.

“What are we living in?” Will asked “The 1950s. Every single day, my son gets to be proud of both his parents for helping other people. We are setting an example for him that no matter who needs help, we are there to lend our assistance.”

The woman took Will’s latest verbal assault as a clue to shut her mouth. He wanted to say so much more, but he held himself back. After all, they still had to live next to these people for the foreseeable future. Just as he turned around to go back to playing with Henry, Henry walked up to the gate. “When my mommy is home we watch movies together and play in blanket forts and she reads to me. She makes up for when she’s not here. You’ve been outside as long as Daddy and I have and you haven’t played with Nathan,” he said matter-of-factly in regards to the woman and her own son. “Just because my mommy isn’t home all the time doesn’t mean she doesn’t love me. Like just because you’re home doesn’t mean that you love Nathan more than my mommy loves me.” And with that, he turned around, leaving Will, quite possibly the proudest he’d ever been. For such a young boy, he was quite witty.

Will turned back around and the two went back to kicking the soccer ball back and forth as their neighbor was left absolutely speechless. That had been one of the things Will wanted to throw back in her face, that his neighbor’s son always seemed to be occupying himself because she was always on her phone, but he’d held himself back. It was all that much sweeter coming from a six-year-old anyway. 

Later that night, JJ called via Skype to say goodnight to her two boys. After reading Henry a bedtime story, he fell asleep, leaving Will to have a few words alone with his wife. “You would’ve been so proud of him this morning,” he started. “The neighbor made a comment about you being away all the time. As nicely as I could, I told her off, but then Henry came in and basically said that being home doesn’t mean you love your kid more. He was looking right at her. I was so proud.”

“From the mouths of babes,” she said proudly. “I’ll have to give him a couple extra kisses when I get home.”


End file.
